Soil selection guide

Choose the right soil

Match the job to the material. Pick your project to see which of our five soils fit, why, and what each costs.

Shop Topsoil & Compost

What are you working on?

Choose a project to see which products fit and why. These are general recommendations: every site is different, so ask the yard if you're unsure.

Material comparison

Our five soils

Prices are subject to change without notice. Call (916) 783-9177 for current pricing.

  1. Screened Topsoil: sample of the material on a plate

    General soil preparation

    Screened Topsoil

    Composition: Sandy loam with very small pebbles

    $51.95 per cubic yard

    $10.39 per bag

    A sandy loam topsoil, screened for a more even texture. It still contains very small pebbles.

    Good to know: Still contains very small pebbles, and no compost is added.

    Uses, cautions and alternatives: Screened Topsoil

    Typical uses

    • Adding a mineral-soil layer
    • General landscape preparation
    • Lawn-area grading

    Know before you buy

    • “Screened” does not mean free of rocks: it contains very small pebbles.
    • Not a compost or a complete planting mix.

    Consider instead

    View product and order: Screened Topsoil
  2. Unscreened Topsoil: sample of the material on a plate

    Fill beneath a planting layer

    Unscreened Topsoil

    Composition: Unscreened soil; may contain rocks, debris and organic matter

    $28.95 per cubic yard

    $5.79 per bag

    Unscreened soil for filling holes, leveling ground and as fill beneath a planting layer. Because it is not screened, it may contain rocks, debris and organic matter.

    Good to know: Not screened, so it may contain rocks, debris and organic matter. Use it as fill beneath a planting layer.

    Uses, cautions and alternatives: Unscreened Topsoil

    Typical uses

    • Filling holes and low spots
    • Leveling and raising ground
    • Fill beneath a planting layer

    Know before you buy

    • Not screened: it may contain rocks, debris and organic matter.
    • Not a screened, finished planting soil: put a planting layer on top.

    Consider instead

    View product and order: Unscreened Topsoil
  3. 50/50 Blend: sample of the material on a plate

    Planters, flower beds and garden boxes

    50/50 Blend

    Composition: 50% organic compost, 50% black forest humus

    $66.95 per cubic yard

    $13.39 per bag

    A blend of organic compost and black forest humus, ready to use in planters, flower beds and garden boxes. You don't need to add anything to it.

    Good to know: Ready to use in planters, flower beds and garden boxes: no need to add anything to it.

    Uses, cautions and alternatives: 50/50 Blend

    Typical uses

    • Planters, ready to use
    • Flower beds and garden boxes

    Know before you buy

    • Organic blends settle as they break down and cost more than topsoil. Use topsoil for fill.

    Consider instead

    View product and order: 50/50 Blend
  4. 70/30 Blend: sample of the material on a plate

    Sod, trees and shrubs

    70/30 Blend

    Composition: 70% compost, 30% black forest humus

    $63.00 per cubic yard

    $12.60 per bag

    A blend of compost and black forest humus, ready to use for sod, trees and shrubs. No need to mix it with anything else.

    Good to know: Ready to use for sod, trees and shrubs: no need to mix it with anything else. Ask us how much to use.

    Uses, cautions and alternatives: 70/30 Blend

    Typical uses

    • Sod, ready to use
    • Planting trees and shrubs

    Know before you buy

    • Ask us how much to use for your site.
    • Organic blends settle as they break down and cost more than topsoil. Use topsoil for fill.

    Consider instead

    View product and order: 70/30 Blend
  5. Superblend: sample of the material on a plate

    Organic-rich blend with chicken manure

    Superblend

    Composition: 70% black forest humus, 20% organic green-waste compost, 10% organic chicken manure

    $74.95 per cubic yard

    $14.99 per bag

    Black forest humus and organic green-waste compost with organic chicken manure added.

    Before you use it: Contains chicken manure. Ask us whether it suits your plants before you use it.

    Uses, cautions and alternatives: Superblend

    Typical uses

    • Planting beds where a blend with chicken manure suits the plants (ask us first)

    Know before you buy

    • Contains chicken manure. Ask us whether it suits your plants before you use it.

    Consider instead

    • 50/50 Blend — A ready-to-use blend without manure, for planters and flower beds
    • 70/30 Blend — The blend we sell for sod, trees and shrubs
    View product and order: Superblend

Recommendations are general guidance about our products, not a site assessment. Ask the yard about your project.

Topsoil or compost?

Screened Topsoil is a mineral soil for grading and preparing ground; Unscreened Topsoil is fill beneath a planting layer. The 50/50 and 70/30 blends are compost and humus, ready to use for the jobs they are sold for. Superblend adds chicken manure.

Planning a load?

Coverage math: one cubic yard spread 4 in deep covers about 81 sq ft, before settling and waste. Use the depth your project needs; 4 in is an example, not a recommendation. Bags are pre-order and pickup only.

Open the Material Estimator for soil

Where this information comes from

Product names, prices and compositions come from our product records; compositions and uses were confirmed with our supplier. General soil advice follows University of California Cooperative Extension guidance and is not a supplier specification. Every site is different, so ask the yard about yours.

Colors, sizes, and textures vary naturally. Photos are representative only. Visit the yard to view products in person before purchase.